The US media almost entirely ignores news regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Tony Snow of the Fox News Network has put it, this is probably the most under-reported news story of the year. Most Americans are unaware that the Islamic Republic of Iran is NOT supported by the masses of Iranians today. Modern Iranians are among the most pro-American in the Middle East.

There is a popular revolt against the Iranian regime brewing in Iran today. I began these daily threads June 10th 2003. On that date Iranians once again began taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Today in Iran, most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy.

The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movement in Iran from being reported. Unfortunately, the regime has successfully prohibited western news reporters from covering the demonstrations. The voices of discontent within Iran are sometime murdered, more often imprisoned. Still the people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.

In support of this revolt, Iranians in America have been broadcasting news stories by satellite into Iran. This 21st century news link has greatly encouraged these protests. The regime has been attempting to jam the signals, and locate the satellite dishes. Still the people violate the law and listen to these broadcasts. Iranians also use the Internet and the regime attempts to block their access to news against the regime. In spite of this, many Iranians inside of Iran read these posts daily to keep informed of the events in their own country.

This daily thread contains nearly all of the English news reports on Iran. It is thorough. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary. The news stories and commentary will from time to time include material from the regime itself. But if you read the post you will discover for yourself, the real story of what is occurring in Iran and its effects on the war on terror.

I am not of Iranian heritage. I am an American committed to supporting the efforts of those in Iran seeking to replace their government with a secular democracy. I am in contact with leaders of the Iranian community here in the United States and in Iran itself.

If you read the daily posts you will gain a better understanding of the US war on terrorism, the Middle East and why we need to support a change of regime in Iran. Feel free to ask your questions and post news stories you discover in the weeks to come.

If all goes well Iran will be free soon and I am convinced become a major ally in the war on terrorism. The regime will fall. Iran will be free. It is just a matter of time.

Financial Times By Guy Dinmore in Washington Published: April 2 2004 0:21 | Last Updated: April 2 2004 0:21

Iran is under mounting international pressure to give a full account of its nuclear programme before next week's visit to Tehran by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The US has told Mr ElBaradei it suspects Iran has a clandestine uranium enrichment programme separate from the giant Natanz plant.

"Iran seems determined to pursue its nuclear weapons programme in an undisturbed and clandestine fashion, and so that it can more easily obtain critical nuclear technology that it needs for its weapons programme," John Bolton, US undersecretary for arms control, told Congress on Tuesday.

He said Iran's "pattern of repeatedly lying to and providing false reports to the IAEA" cast serious doubts on the commitment it made last October to suspend its uranium enrichment programme and open all facilities to inspectors.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House was concerned Iran had "dispersed" its uranium enrichment programme to small sites that were hard to detect.

He declined to comment on a report in the Los Angeles Times last week, citing a western intelligence report, that said Iran set up a special committee late last year with the task of trying to hide nuclear evidence at nearly 300 locations round the country.

Iran denied the report. It said it had declared all its nuclear activities to the IAEA and that all were of a civilian nature.

Although the hardline US position has failed to draw broad support at the UN safeguards agency, Washington still appears determined to refer Iran's failure to meet its nuclear obligations to the UN Security Council for further action.

Over the past year Iran has been forced to divulge more about its programme than it originally acknowledged. The most recent IAEA resolution "deplores" Iran' s omissions related to advanced P-2 centrifuge development.

Diplomats and analysts in Washington have compared the US pressure with the build-up to the Iraq war. This time, however, there is clear evidence that Iran has an advanced nuclear programme that could be adapted to military use.

Senior US officials insist there are no US military plans for Iran. In private, however, hardline conservatives say President George W. Bush may consider limited strikes against suspected nuclear facilities if he is re-elected in November and if Iran does not abandon the nuclear weapons programme it denies having.

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The Iranian national team will visit the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, April 28th to participate in an international friendly match with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"The match against Iran will give us the chance to play against one of Asia's most talented and exciting national teams," said Galaxy GM Doug Hamilton. "We are always looking to bring our fans top international opponents and a team in the midst of World Cup qualifying as Iran will be."

The Galaxy has never lost a match to a team belonging to the Asian Football Confederation. In February of 2001 China was defeated 3-1 by Los Angeles in its home country and in September of 2003 it drew 0-0 at the Home Depot Center.

Iran is at the top of its group in World Cup qualifying and 24th place in FIFA's World rankings. The team is coached by Branko Ivankovic who was in charge of the squad for a third-place finish the 1998 World Cup.

I received a call from Manijeh, who works at the Iranian Cultural Center in Oakland. She was excited. "She's coming to visit the center!" she said. "Who?" I said. "Farah" she said. I knew that the former Queen was in town to speak at several events on her recent book. I even knew about the mystery "Mehmooni" some Iranians had thrown for her.

"Why is she coming to the center?" I asked, stupidly. Manijeh replied, "Apparently she wants to make a quick anonymous visit to a local Iranian cultural heritage center. No hoopla, just a stop by and say hello, and to see the kind of work being done to preserve Iranian traditions, customs and history."

"That's Great!" "Can I come?" I asked. "I'll get you in don't worry, -Need another article eh?" Manijeh snickered. "No it's not like that, I really want to meet her!" I tried to explain. She gave me the date and time, and we hung up.

"I'm going to meet the freaking Queen!' I said.

I thought back to Iran, before the revolution and tried to replay the images of Farah Pahlavi, that I had stored far back in my mind. Ah yes! There they are! One by one, I ran the slideshow forward. The coronation, the international art shows with those French posters "Exposition de les Arte Moderne du Tehran 1974", towering over Nixon, towering over Carter, visiting the rural schools. I stopped when I got to the image of her at the grave of the Shah, then her daughter's. "Enough", I thought, back to reality. I knew exactly what I wanted Farah to see at the center.

One historical record that was preserved from the era before the revolution, was one of 2 books on Iran(Bridge of Turquoise and Elements of Destiny) Farah had commissioned by the famous Photographer Roloff Beny. These beautiful books which took 16 years to make, served to document Iran in a way that had never before been done before. Combining history, literature and images of Iran in a glorious collection. I found Bridge of Turquoise in a public library auction 16 years ago, I remember the day well. After paying $5 for what was in it's day worth thousands, I rushed home to read the book. As I turned page after page of the finely printed book, I marveled at the quality of the images, the print, the paper used in the fine binding. It's a wonderful book if you can find it.

The book now rested in the safe hands of the Iranian cultural center, and it was this book I intended to show Farah. That she had done something good, and it had been preserved for future generations to admire.

As I waited for her to arrive I began to get nervous. I was surprised at this because she was for all practical purposes a normal person. She no longer had any real power over me, and I was no longer her subject, and certainly had nothing to fear. Yet a pit began to build. I heard the sound of the front doorbell, and the bustle of activity as the few center people led by Manijeh rushed to open the door.

Suddenly, finally there she was. Surprisingly alone, dressed in a cream blazer with navy slacks, she wore cream pumps with some sort of generic gold crest (not the familiar Pahlavi crest). And a simplest strand of pearls. She was shorter than I imagined, but my imagination was based on the memory of a 7 year old boy watching her crowned queen of Iran on television in Tehran.

Her eyes sparkled and the familiar half smile broke broadly as she said her hellos. After her tour of the center, she graciously commended everyone on their hard work and dedication. She would often stop at the many paintings that adorned the center, left over "donations" from the many failed visiting Iranian artist shows, who hopelessly brought their talent here, wishing for that elusive of all patrons, "The Iranian Art Lover".

I was introduced, and for a split second, I almost took a knee, but the shock of that thought froze me and instead I just shook her hand, half-smiled her right back and said a jerky, "Salam, Khosh-Amadeed".

I then took over the tour and asked her "Now would you like to see something that I know you will like to see?" I said half teasing her. A puzzled smile of intrigue flashed across her face, and she nodded. I took her into the library and to the table I had laid the book on, before she got there.

I opened the book to the familiar section that had her coronation, and some rare behind the scenes photographs of the former royal family. But, they weren't in their usual section of the book. "That's odd" I thought, "It should be right here after this section...wait let me check the index." I checked the index and it said "Royal Family p. 246", I turned to the page and my heart froze. Pages 246 through 238 had been ripped out! Luckily she had glanced away at another painting on the wall.

Quickly I flipped to the picture of a luscious ripe and juicy Anar. For a non-Iranian, Beny had somehow managed to perfectly capture the intense love affair we have with the pomegranate.

She smiled broadly, and said, "I love this book, I did not think there were any left." I told her how I had found it, and she nodded as I recounted the discovery. And with that, she said, "Well, it has been lovely meeting all of you and I have thoroughly enjoyed my visit, but unfortunately I must go."

Everyone in the center said "No!" with the most heartfelt of taarofs, we could muster, even though we knew it was pointless.

We escorted her to the door, and she thanked us all again and was gone. We all waited until she had descended the steps of the Victorian and was safely down the sidewalk, out of earshot, when the tittering and gossiping began.

I had to leave and said goodbye to everyone and made my way towards the back of the building where I had parked. I got into my truck and pulled out smiling, I turned at the driveway into the street and drove past the coffee shop on the corner. As I glanced at the doorway, I saw the cream and navy outfit just inside.

"Farah drinks coffee." I said. And kept on going.

I slammed on the brakes. "FARAH DRINKS COFFEE?"

I pulled a Yewie and parked across the street from the coffee shop. I narrowly missed a car coming at me as I crossed the street. "Hosha! I'm walking here!" I screamed at the idiot. I ran into the coffee shop, and just missed her as she was seated by the waitress.

"Now what?" I thought.

"Now you'll just walk up to her and ask her if you can join her, that's what." Ah reason! It's a good thing when it returns. And so I did as reason told me to.

She looked up and I asked her if I could join her, and she said, "Certainly, I am waiting for my ride."

I sat down, and just as I was about to speak, a menu was shoved in my face. I shoved it back and said, "Hello? Coffee?" to the pierced thing with an apron.

Farah smiled again, and ordered a single cappuccino. "Very LA" I thought.

And we spoke. This is where the dream gets fuzzy. I know, I have tried to focus on it, but I was having such a good time, I didn't want to mess it up by remembering everything that was said. Something about where she had been all these years, and if she wanted to go back to Iran one day. She asked me what I did, and I lied. You know, the usual polite chit chat a man has with an older woman in a coffee shop.

Suddenly a fine spray, like that of child spitting between it's teeth at you, hit me square in the face. I sputtered and looked up to see a fine arc of water streaking from the radiator behind Farah. We both shrieked as the water went everywhere, and people began picking up their coffees and moving as everyone near us got schpritzed. moving their coffees.

Hey it's a dream. Weird stuff happens, all right?

I always admired Farah growing up as a child in Iran, she seemed so genuine, nice and caring. Kind of like a cross between your mother and the blue fairy in Pinocchio. As a child I remember the Shah did not seem so nice, he always looked stern and seemed to be a strict disciplinarian. A mean King. I have no idea if this was true and several biographies have painted a much different picture of them than we imagined, but to a child he always appeared serious, angry, and generally not a good person to joke around with.

Looking back on the coffee shop, I wanted to ask her so many things about the past. Like did she ever know about the brutality of SAVAK? Did she speak about it to her husband at night when they were in bed, alone? Did she try to reason with him? Did he promise her he would change things? And now, could she tell if her son was serious about not wanting to be King? If her book does one thing, it attempts to point out some of the greater good of the Pahlavi era. True, it paints over the bad, but there really was some good done in that time.

So how does one resolve the Shah from Farah, right from wrong, good from evil? We would be wrong to automatically assume her guilt in her husband's crimes. We would be wrong to assume that she did not speak out against an evil empire. Because maybe she actually did. We don't know that she didn't. Or that if she didn't speak out like we suspect, that this may have been the single biggest mistake of her life, a cross only she can now bear, in silence for all these years.

Who knows.

I don't propose that we go back to being a kingdom, or forsake our ongoing journey towards a true democracy. I'm certainly no Shah lover or even a proponent and I don't even have a role in mind for Farah in this regard. But I do know that she has the kind of innate great grace and regal carriage, that could make a shopping trip to Wal-Mart feel privileged. It still obviously beams from her. She is the quintessential queen.

And ultimately it isn't very important what kind of life you had, or have led, it's what you do with the rest of your life that matters in the end. As the queen of Iran during the Pahlavi era, who's to say if the Pahlavis had stuck it out and stayed, if we would be where we are today. Who's to say that if Iran had remained a monarchy, that shortly after his father's death in 1980, that Reza II reading the writing on the wall, relegating himslef to a symbolic monarch, wouldn't have handed power over to a democratic government by and for the people. He is certainly singing that tune now. Maybe he's telling the truth. Yesterday I listened as Richard Clarke spoke about how the US had actually particpated in covert military action against agents of the Iranian Islamic Republic. So we're certainly not well off by any means. And that is my point, the past is not as important as the future. And I don't know what Farah plans to do the rest of her's. But for better or worse, like it or not, pro or con, she is a living icon, and she is ours to resolve.

Each man will admit to you (if you get him on his back and push your foot firmly against his throat so he can't get away), that there are 3 kinds of women; your mother, your wife, and your mistress. Farah offers us a fourth, our Queen.

The Sizdeh Bedar Celebration Today, April 1 (equivalent to the 13th of Farvardin) crowds of youth, students, families of political prisoners and the general public gathered in the Mellat Park of Tehran. Patriotic songs were sung as a means of defiance against the anti-patriotic Islamic regime. Hezbollah groups were standing by on the outskirts of the park, while polices nearby were outnumbered by participants of the Sizdeh Bedar celebration.

Participants who demanded the release of all students and political prisoners held banners and pictures of Ahmad Batebi, Nasser Zarafshan, Alireza Jabbari and other political prisoners. In a customary ritual, Iranians tie knots in their green sprouts and make a wish. In this ritual, friends and families of captive students and political prisoners wished the freedom of their entire loved ones.

Sizdeh Bedar is observed on the 13th day following Norouz. Iranians celebrate this day outside of home and in the parks. This joyous occasion blends in with the Iranian New Year ritual and is discouraged by the Islamic regime. In recent years, the irritating presence of Islamic authorities has resulted in record number of participants. These Iranian celebrations have been used as defiance and a civil disobedience movement denouncing the Islamic regime.

The House of Commons foreign affairs committee warned Saudi Arabia that its relations with Ottawa would not be able to develop properly "until justice is done and seen to be done."

In a report on Canada's relations with the Muslim world, the committee warned Saudi Arabia it needed to conduct a full investigation of allegations of miscarriage of justice and torture made by Canadian citizen William Sampson.

Sampson claims he was tortured by Saudi authorities into falsely confessing to murder. After being sentenced to death by beheading, Sampson was eventually released when the family of his alleged victim requested clemency.

The committee also called on Iran to undertake a full accounting for the illegal detention, torture and murder of Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi.

Montreal-based Kazemi, who had dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship, was arrested for taking photos of a prison. She died while in custody with Iranian authorities sahying she had been beaten to death while being interrogated.

So far, the Iranians have refused her son's request for her remains to be returned to Canada.

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. atomic watchdog has found traces of bomb-grade uranium in Iran at sites other than the two already named, but diplomats say it is unclear if this boosts U.S. claims that Tehran wants an atom bomb.

"They found highly-enriched uranium at more sites than Kalaye and Natanz," a Western diplomat told Reuters on Friday on condition of anonymity. The diplomat did not specify how many sites, where they were or when the traces were found.

Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported finding traces of uranium that had been enriched to a point where it contained about 90 percent of the fissile uranium atom U-235 at the Natanz enrichment plant and a workshop at the Kalaye Electric Company.

Uranium with such a high concentration of U-235 has few civilian uses but is the ideal purity level for a nuclear bomb.

Vienna-based sources who follow the IAEA's work confirmed the U.N. watchdog had discovered traces at other sites, but the agency would not comment.

Tehran has said the traces at Natanz and Kalaye came from contaminated centrifuge components purchased abroad. The new traces could still support this explanation.

"One would expect to find traces of uranium everywhere these components were moved or stored," a second diplomat said.

But several diplomats said the further discoveries raised the question of whether Tehran has been engaging in more undeclared nuclear activities at sites it has been hiding from the IAEA.

Under fire over U.S. allegations that its atomic energy programme is a front to build nuclear weapons, Tehran promised France, Germany and Britain last October it would suspend uranium enrichment and accept tougher inspections by the U.N. watchdog in exchange for peaceful nuclear technology.

Iran says its atomic ambitions are limited to the generation of electricity.

Last month, the IAEA passed a resolution deploring Iran's failure to declare potentially arms-related nuclear activities to the agency.

Tehran told the U.N. body the contaminated centrifuge components originally came from Pakistan. The IAEA has asked Pakistan to let it take samples of Pakistani HEU in order to verify Tehran's explanation.

But Pakistan's government, which recently pardoned its top nuclear scientist for leaking secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, has refused.

The Bush administration is imposing sanctions on 13 foreign companies and individuals in seven countries that it says have sold equipment or expertise that Iran could use in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs, according to administration and congressional officials.

The sanctions would prohibit the companies and individuals from exporting goods to the United States, or receiving contracts or assistance from the United States, and will prevent U.S. companies from trading with them for two years. Officials said the sanctions were being imposed under the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, which prevents sales of goods and technology that Iran could use to acquire long-range missiles and unconventional weapons.

The House and Senate foreign relations committees on Thursday received copies of a classified 30-page report that describes such trade and names the entities being penalized, congressional officials confirmed.

The 13 entities cited include five Chinese companies as well companies in Russia, Macedonia, Belarus, Taiwan, North Korea and the United Arab Emirates. At least five had already had sanctions imposed at least once by the administration.

One official called the list the largest and most varied group of entities to be hit by such sanctions, saying that it demonstrated the Bush administration's determination to use economic pressure on companies and individuals who sell goods and skills that Iran and other states hostile to the United States can use to acquire long-range missiles or unconventional weapons.

"This is about branding companies and people who make such sales as proliferators," said an official who has seen the list and followed the administration's use of sanctions.

Nonproliferation experts who have seen the new report said U.S. officials had repeatedly complained to China and Russia about their companies' involvement in such transfers. No company, officials said, has ever challenged the sanctions in court.

Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, a nonprofit group that monitors the spread of unconventional weapons, said that while some sanctions were useful, the United States needed tougher rules and mechanisms.

"Many of these companies are repeaters and many don't even do much business with the U.S., nor we with them," he said. "Iran is trying to get the bomb under the shield of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty."

Officials said that the list of companies and individuals included the China North Industries Corp., or Norinco; Zibo Chemical Equipment Plant; China Precision Machinery Import/Export; the Beijing Institute of Opto-Electronic Technology; and Oriental Scientific Instruments, all in China. They said the list also included Baranov Engine and Professor V. Vorobey in Russia; Mikrosam and its president, Blagoja Samakoski, in Macedonia; Changgwang Finyong Corp. in North Korea; Belvneshprom Service in Belarus; Elmstone Trading in the United Arab Emirates; and Goodly Industrial in Taiwan.

The companies could not immediately be reached for comment.

The number of companies receiving sanctions has grown under President George W. Bush. In testimony on Tuesday before the House International Relations Committee in Washington, Under Secretary of State John Bolton said that the administration had imposed sanctions to punish suspected efforts to acquire illicit weapons 22 times in 2002 and 32 times in 2003, compared with the Clinton administration's average of eight times a year.

"This administration is very serious about using sanctions as a nonproliferation tool," Bolton said.

Bolton also shed new light on the administration's view of what President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan knew about Khan's illicit nuclear sales network before his confession and about the status of Pakistan and American efforts to stop such sales.

Questioned by committee Democrats about whether there was evidence that Musharraf was complicit in nuclear sales by Khan's network to Iran, Libya and North Korea, Bolton said that while Musharraf might have been aware of such sales, he might have been politically unable to stop them because Khan was "an icon in Pakistan - the father of the nuclear weapons program."

Bolton said he believed that Musharraf might finally have been emboldened by the revelations last year of Iran's illicit nuclear activities and Libya's decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction.

The head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce said here on Friday that Irans gross domestic product (GDP) in the past Iranian calendar year 1382 (March 20, 2003-March 20, 2004) shows worth-noting rise in comparison with Iranian year 1381 (March 20, 2002-March 20, 2003).

In an interview with the economic reporter of Fars News Agency, Mohammad Reza Behzadian said that some parts of the economic achievements in the past year are due to the sixth Majlis efforts to streamline economic activities by ratifying different bills including the bills on taxation and foreign investment

He added that such bills removed some ambiguities as to taxation and foreign investment rules and regulations.

He pointed to the considerable rise in some farming products such as wheat and said that beside the agricultural sector the mines and industries sector recorded high production in past Iranian year in particular in steel production.

He went on to say that that the textile industry also experienced an upward trend.

Non-oil exports edged up as well and the growth in stock exchange indexes, acceleration of the privatization plan and cession of the shares of some governmental companies were among the positive steps taken in the past Iranian year, he noted.

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